Spent.

(A series on how we dispense ourselves, our resources and our time.)

Lately a common theme has arisen in my thought life and my conversations.

A thread that keeps pulling loose, demanding my attention.

Like a phone call that needs to be returned, or a bill that has to be paid, I have this nagging, underlying discourse running through my mind, impacting me with a persistence that demands attention.

How am I spending?

My money.
My time.
My life.
My body.
My relationships.
My reserves.
My thoughts.
My devotion.
My energy.

It's a deep, deep well, this thought pattern I'm working through.

I hesitate to pull up a bucket from this well and spill it out because I fear a flood of consequences I'm not sure I'm ready for.

But in my experience with how God works in my life, when I feel a profound, almost burning need to explore something, it's in my best interest to take the leap... to trust. To expose the vulnerability I feel and lean on the Promise that I will never be led into anything that takes me away from God's goodness - even if it scares the heck out of me.

So I'm going to tackle each of these... in a way that may produce more questions than answers. In a way that may rustle some feathers. In a way that may betray my North American sensibilities and unveil things I'm not proud of... but hopefully, in a way that gets the wheels turning as we consider how we are called to be counter-cultural.

I come at this from the world view of a follower of Jesus. The Jesus of the bible. The Jesus who chose sinners over religious leaders. The Jesus who gave himself - who spent his life well - who modeled the answers to these questions I'm pondering. The unsafe, radical leader who refused glory for a narrow path that ultimately led to his betrayal and death.

Let me be clear. This blog has always been a way for me to process my own stuff. I don't see it as a venue for influencing others. But I've been told many times that the stuff I write has been impactful to others. So I put it out there in this public way - not to leverage my opinion or sway others, but to convey my heart and begin to traverse a path along which I suspect I may need like-minded companionship and support.

And so I begin.

Expect a post soon tackling the first of many thoughts about the idea of Spending.

I'm looking forward to the challenge. Thanks for joining me.